Wrecking Crew for NES

Play classic game Wrecking Crew on PC.

Description of Wrecking Crew for NES

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In Wrecking Crew, the player controls Mario and attempts to destroy all of a certain set of objects on each of 100 levels. Each level takes place on a playfield divided into an invisible grid, each space of which can contain one object. Objects include destructible walls, pillars and ladders, indestructible barrels and ladders, bombs that destroy all connected destructible objects, and various enemies that Mario must avoid. Doors may also exist, which can be opened to cause enemies to move harmlessly into the background. In some levels, a construction foreman named Spike (Blackey in the Japanese version) chases Mario around and attempts to disrupt him by knocking down certain objects and causing him to fall to the bottom of the playfield. The player starts the game with five lives and loses a life when Mario comes in contact with an enemy or fireball. A second player can play as Luigi. The game is over when all lives are lost. The game can also be aborted at any time, and must be aborted if Mario becomes trapped in a barrel.

Because Mario lacks the ability to jump in this game, the player must figure out the optimal order in which to destroy objects – for example, if he/she destroys a ladder too soon, a wall may become unreachable and thus the player cannot finish the level, forcing him/her to sacrifice a life and start over. Destroying larger numbers of objects in a row (usually with one or more bombs) scores extra bonus points, and occasionally bonus items may appear that Mario can collect.

Wrecking Crew also features a level editor, which allows the player to design up to four of his/her own levels. However, this feature was designed for use with the Famicom Data Recorder, a cassette tape device that was only released in Japan, thus rendering it effectively unavailable to North American players. (The game's U.S. manual includes a note stating that the load and save functions "have been programmed in for potential product developments".)